Tuesday, April 24, 2007

More on the Cho video

The CBC was one of the few television networks in North America that didn't broadcast visuals from Cho Seung-Hui's video sent to NBC last week just before he massacred 30 additional victims (for a total of 32) at Virginia Tech.

Reading Doyle's column (I won't provide the link because the Globe made it a pay-to-read piece) gave me the feeling that Doyle didn't have his heart in it. The words struck me as an article that could've been ordered by the Globe-powers-that-be still trying to justify their decision at CTV to broadcast the footage. We needed to see more evidence of Cho's insanity - that was the crux of Doyle's justification. Quite frankly, Mr. Doyle, we had enough proof already.

The issue for me is simple: the media should've exercised greater restraint and broadcast as little as possible from this video, preferably nothing at all, for the simple reason that the psychopath wanted the tape to be broadcast.

Doyle yesterday dismissed the notion that broadcasting Cho's tape would encourage copycat killers. Doyle, and many others, are completely wrong on that one.

By choosing to broadcast portions of Cho's video, the major networks merely confirmed to all psychopaths out there suffering in alleged isolation and obscurity that they too can become very famous by picking up a gun and going on a killing spree - after of course sending off a self-produced manifesto tape to a major private broadcaster who will be more than happy to broadcast your crazed message to the masses.

I fully expect the next psychopath who guns down innocent people will send a videotape to NBC minutes before doing it, and that NBC and others will jump again at the chance to pass it on for greater consumption.